Smartphone Addiction Could Be Changing Your Brain

CNN, December 1, 2017, By Sandee LaMotte

"You may be one of the growing number of Americans (or global citizens) who has a bit of nomophobia.

'Nomophobia?' you mutter as you read this on your ever-present smartphone. 'Of course not.'

'NO MObile PHOne phoBIA' is a 21st-century term for the fear of not being able to use your cell phone or other smart device. Cell phone addiction is on the rise, surveys show, and a new study released Thursday adds to a growing body of evidence that smartphone and internet addiction is harming our minds – literally.

How do you know if you're addicted? There's an online (of course) quiz to find out, which has been translated into Spanish, Italian and Turkish. ...

...Did you score between 100 and 200? You're probably struggling with severe anxiety when you can't access your cell phone, he said.

'This might negatively affect your social life and relationships with friends and family,' Yildirim said. 'There are studies that show those who score high on the test tend to avoid face-to-face interactions, have high levels of social anxiety and maybe even depression.'

'It might affect your ability to work or study, because you want to be connected to your smartphone all the time,' he added. 'So if any of this applies to you, then it's time to start looking at your behavior and level of anxiety.'

SecurEnvoy, a two-factor authentication company, conducted research using a polling panel (which is not as scientific as a randomized poll) and found that 66% of people in the United Kingdom have some form of nomophobia. Notably, 41% of the participants said they had two or more phones to make sure they stayed connected.

Surveys by the Pew Research Center this year showed that 77% of Americans own smartphones, up from 35% in 2011. Ninety-five percent own a cell phone of some kind.' ..."